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Chicago And Illinois' Coldest March On Record--march 1960

Marching to a very cold drummer: The statewide record cold of March 1960

March 13, 2005|By Tom Skilling

With the exception of last Sunday's balmy weather, March 2005 has been cold in Chicago, averaging more than 3(degrees) below normal with no apparent end to the current below normal temperatures in sight. However, this month's chill can't hold a candle to the frigid weather that gripped Chicago and the entire state of Illinois 45 years ago in March 1960--a month that remains the coldest March on record. During the first week of the month daily high temperatures in Chicago failed to reach 30(degrees), and on 4 of the 7 mornings, low temperatures plummeted to the single digits with subzero readings in colder suburban areas. Downstate, temperatures dropped even lower with January level double digit subzero cold common during that period. In addition to the cold, March 1960 was snowy, highlighted by a major 6 inch snowfall on March 15 and 16 that affected nearly all of the central and north portions of the state. Persistent deep snow cover helped contribute to the month's cold and the state did not lose all of its snow cover until the last few days of the month, when temperatures finally rebounded into the 60s and 70s.